Daily Scripture

Memorial of Saint Peter Claver

Scripture:

Colossians 3:1-11
Luke 6:20-26

Reflection:

Peter Claver called himself, ‘Slave of slaves’, words in our opening prayer this feast day  We recall his charity and patience, his seeking the things of Christ. With Peter as our example, we are called to love in deed and in truth. While in a different time and world Peter and ourselves deal with similar spiritual issues.

We say that it is where we find ourselves that we live the mystery of Christ. Peter did that. Meeting the salve ships emptying their cargo at Cartagena must have been heart breaking? He saw disoriented survivors who had lost loved ones, home and freedom.  And, while Peter built a reputation for his holiness and a certain respect from owners and ship’s captains, these men were about a business, and at best Peter worked in the cracks with his medicines and his efforts to ease fear and show charity.

Imagine the patience and charity that Peter showed to slave owners. How could he live in such a system? He had to accept it. This was the world in which he found himself. He was unable to make the changes he could imagine, but he dealt with the reality before him as best he could, and somehow did not give into debilitating disappointment. Who among us might not profit from Peter’s willingness to live patience, charity and hope in the difficult places we may find ourselves?

The picture does not become brighter. After the ships were unloaded many of the slaves were needed to do mining work. The frightening digging deeper and deeper into the dark earth for silver and gold, and the vicious toil it demanded would mark the beginning of life in the New World and be the cause of the deaths for many of those sent to the mines. Options did not exist: work or die. A sad echo in history of refugees and exiles fleeing dangers in their homelands and seeking to survive in foreign lands. Among their numbers today undoubtedly are ancestors who suffered similar trials.

Peter did what he could. He must have talked to God constantly with questions and confided to God his frustration about the suffering in his world. Peter did not have the satisfaction of seeing changes. His work was interrupted when he fell ill. He remained bed ridden for the final years of his life. His prayer must have been on going trust in the truth of God’s love that his life witnessed to.

Today’s readings are most appropriate for the life of Peter Claver: “you have been raised in the company of Christ…be intent on the things above….there is no Greek or Jew here, ….no slave or freeman. Rather, Christ is everything in all of you.” And the Beatitudes of Luke tell us that we work now to make the Kingdom of God present, and we draw our strength to do this because the Kingdom is establish already in Jesus Victory. Peter Claver did this with his charity and patience, drawing strength from his prayerful hope in Christ. He didn’t see the results while alive. He did in the joy of God’s presence. And maybe too he saw the tremendous celebration in the city of Cartagena after he died? Although it seemed he had disappeared in his illness, at his death his small, broken world had been watching all along. It erupted in celebration of the holiness of the ‘slave of slaves’, a holiness we desire to make our own today.

 

Fr. William Murphy, CP is the pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Jamaica, New York.

Scripture:

Micah 5:1-4a
Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

Reflection:

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of Mary.  As with all Marian feasts, this offers us an occasion to remember some of the important things we know and believe about Mary.

Mary was fully human, born to ordinary parents.  She was conceived without original sin.  It was through her “yes” that God brought salvation to humanity.  She carried and gave birth to Jesus.  She shared the joys of pregnancy with her cousin, Elizabeth.  She and Jesus’ stepfather, Joseph, were parents to Jesus.  She was a mother with feelings like all other mothers.  She walked with Jesus and was with him through his passion and crucifixion.  She buried Jesus and with the Apostles and others witnessed the resurrected Christ.  Mary, was assumed, body and soul, into heaven.  Mary is our advocate and we pray to her, not because she is divine-which she is not-but we pray asking her to be our advocate with God, to pray for us.

As we remember today the birth of Mary, it’s a good time to pause to think about what it means that she was fully human.  It means that she likely played games with childhood friends, had favorite foods, had dreams and hopes.  Certainly, it means that she felt deeply the joys and sorrows of being a mother.  She knows what it means to feel the panic of losing a child in a crowd, and the anguish  of standing by and watching a child die because she experienced these things.

Today’s readings tell us that Mary was the mother of Jesus and they spell out the genealogy, the ancestors of Joseph and through Joseph’s taking Jesus as his son, the ancestors of Jesus.  There are theologians who question this genealogy and who think that it may be that Mary’s ancestry could parallel some of Joseph’s. In many ways, this is beside the point.  It seems to me that the message of these passages is that in fact, Mary was human, born human and being human, gave birth to Jesus, thereby bringing God to us.

Most Catholics have a special devotion to Mary.  We believe that Mary understands us and has compassion for us, especially in our sorrows.  Whether it is through the Rosary, or novenas, or meditation, we remember that Mary was human, experienced motherhood, and we call on her to intercede for us.

As we approach the jubilee year of mercy, let us pray to Mary, that she will ask her Son to be merciful to us and to help us be merciful to one another.

 

Mary Lou Butler is a long-time friend and partner in ministry to the Passionists in California.

Scripture:

Colossians 1:24-2:3
Luke 6:6-11

Reflection:

I love it when someone, especially someone in authority says: “That can’t be done!”

In 1984 Augusto and Michaela Odone’s four year old son was diagnosed with an incurable disease called adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). The doctors told the Lorenzos there was nothing they could do for their son, he would be dead in two years. That’s all Augusto and Michaela needed to begin their search for a cure for their son Lorenzo. You probably remember the 1992 movie that told their story of success, Lorenzo’s Oil. Lorenzo lived another 26 years.

I remember as a kid in the ‘50’s when my parents came home and told us that our oldest brother Terry was diagnosed with bulbar polio and had to live in an iron lung. The doctors told my parents, there was nothing they could do but go home and pray. So pray we did. Terry was added to our list of special intentions after the family rosary that we said together each night after dinner. They prayed for him at church on Sundays and today Terry, 78, is a grandfather of three and still causing trouble in Iowa.

In today’s Gospel selection, Jesus is told by the Scribes and Pharisees that he is not supposed to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus heals anyway. Thank you Jesus for teaching me that loving another person heals both me and the other person.

 

Dan O’Donnell is a Passionist Partner and a longtime friend of the Passionists.  He lives in Chicago. 

Scripture:

Isaiah 35:4-7a
James 2:1-5
Mark 7:31-37

Reflection:

The miracle that Jesus performs for the man who was deaf and had a speech impediment is more than a miracle story. There is a teaching that Mark is imparting. Though the man was cured of these physical hindrances, Mark is offering a deeper message.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises. Our ever faithful God, as Isaiah records, will open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf; the lame will leap like a stag and the tongue of the mute will sing. Jesus is God acting in our midst.

We can take this further by associating this story to the Sacrament of Baptism. In the old Rite of Baptism the priest would touch the ears of the one being baptized, as Mark describes Jesus doing. In Baptism we receive the gift of the Spirit and are incorporated into the Body of Christ, the Church. Is Mark telling us that as followers of Christ we are to keep our ears open to hear the Word of God and our tongue loosened to speak about Christ to others? In baptism we are committed to the way of Christ. This commitment entails a growing openness to hear what Jesus says to us and a growing ability to share our faith with others.

Like the people in the Gospel story and the disciples at Pentecost, if our being a Christian is truly a deep experience of listening to God’s presence in our midst, noticing all that God does in the world around us, we too could not keep ourselves from letting other people know. Do we recognize the voice of God calling to us in the many changing situations, both good and bad, that happen to us, to our family, to our society?

Did we hear the message from today’s second reading? Do we judge people by externals? Do we treat some people as important and ignore others who are lower on the social ladder? Do we discriminate in other areas, like religion, race, sex, occupation? What is our attitude to wealth and poverty and how do my actions compare with the way Christ acted?

We pray that our ears remain open to hearing the voice of God calling to us in everything that happens to us. We pray for the gift of speech that we simply cannot refrain from sharing the Good News with those around us.

 

Fr. Don Webber, C.P., resides in Chicago.

Scripture:

Colossians 1:21-23
Luke 6:1-5

Reflection:

 

The Ultimate Rule Maker

We all have rules and laws that we live by in our communities, churches, workplaces, and homes. Rules and laws are necessary to maintain order and keep people safe. We all have personal rules we live by as well. Two of the many rules that I live by include: 1. Don’t settle for mediocrity. 2. Eat chocolate every day. Some rules are followed; some rules are bent, some rules are broken. In today’s Gospel reading, the disciples break the rules and the Pharisees call them out on it. Jesus responds by saying, “I am the Lord of the Sabbath.” (Lk 6:5) In other words, He is the Ultimate Rule Maker. Thankfully for me, a novice Scripture reader, He made the rules simple and concise. 1. Love God. 2. Love One Another. ( Matt 22: 37-38)

I was very much a rule follower when I was growing up. I always did my homework and stayed out of trouble both at home and at school. As I have aged and become wiser and more mature, Ifind myself questioning rules and laws in both our country and in our church. The Jesus I know would challenge some of these rules. As a Catholic female, I am particularly interested in the rules and laws having to do with equality and discrimination. I read a lot, I sign petitions online, and I support both prayerfully and financially those persons or institutions that fight inequality and discrimination. I find solace and peace in the fact that God has brought people in and out of our history to keep His message alive. There are countless women such as Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Mother Theresa, and more recently, Edie Windsor who have worked tirelessly to give ALL people the dignity and respect they deserve. They did their work not to get their names in the history books, but to live the Gospel. They did what our Ultimate Rule Maker taught. They saw an injustice and tackled it head on and as a result, our society has been transformed.

The rules that Jesus, our Ultimate Rule Maker, commanded us to follow – Love God and Love One Another – are very simple to understand and at times very easy to follow. I see His love in my husband’s eyes. I see His love in my children and grandson. I see His love in my friends. I see His love in my small faith group. I see His love when I walk in the park every day. Where I struggle the most (and I’m sure I am not alone in this struggle) is seeing Him and trying to love those who do not have the same values and beliefs that I have. When I see women and children hurt by violence, when I hear of another senseless shooting, when I hear politicians use the term “anchor baby”, when I hear people being labeled “intrinsically disordered”, my heart aches. But it is in those times that I make myself stop and take several breaths to get my blood pressure down and say “God help them.” I have found that when I say this prayer for them, my anger slowly goes away and is replaced by compassion.

May we all find peace by following the rules of our Ultimate Rule Maker.

 

Kathy Norris is a member of the St. Agnes Parish Pastoral Council in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Colossians 1:15-20
Psalm 100
Luke 5:33-39

Reflection:

Fasting & Feasting:  Towards A Change of Heart

The “good old” Scribes and Pharisees:  today’s Gospel continues the saga of their confronting Jesus with legalistic formalism…and so little heart!  “Your disciples don’t fast and pray…yours eat and drink.”  Detailed regulations rather than helping a neighbor in distress…or even rejoicing with the Bridegroom.

Jesus met this issue head on and wanted to show that Love is the essence of religion, that regulations are valid only if God’s purposes are served.  Jesus asked more of his disciples:  to follow his example, and love God with one’s whole being, and to love one’s neighbor as He did — a much more demanding life response than a fasting from food and drink!  A new cloak…a new batch of wine…

As contemporary disciples, we are invited to think “outside the box”.  We’ve moved beyond the Baltimore Catechism days; the Second Vatican Council has opened the “windows” of the Church.  Pope Francis is inviting us to see life differently.  The Spirit is alive in our midst!  The Church is a community of believers!  Our liturgical prayer invites and requires our full and active participation!  Our Baptism calls everyone to a life-long discipleship / involvement in the Church, fulfilling their particular vocation!  Our faith life is more than what you do (or don’t) eat or drink.  A new cloak…a new batch of wine…

No doubt we seek to grow day by day; we need God to open our hearts in both our fasting and feasting – to help us change and grow.  As members of the Passionist family, we prayerfully ponder our lives and that of our world.  What are our basic life values?  Today’s quest for power, or money, or material goods, or popularity:  do we go along with the crowds?  How do we “love” with Jesus Crucified?

May God open wide our eyes and our hearts, to see the treasure of our faith, along with the blessings and hard realities of daily life.  Together, in the words of Psalm 100, we give thanks to God, and bless God’s name!  God’s kindness and faithfulness embraces us all!

 

Fr. John Schork, C.P. is the local leader of the Passionist community in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Scripture:

Colossians 1:9-14
Luke 5:1-11

Reflection:

Simon said in reply, ‘Master we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.’ Luke 5:5

Simon was a professional fisherman who knew his trade. For him to be so willing to do as Jesus said shows how much he had come to believe in Jesus. He could have argued and said, “No way, Lord! I know the fish aren’t biting. We’re too tired, and we’d just be wasting our time.” But he didn’t. Rather, he did as the Lord asked, and the boat nearly sank they caught so many fish!

Knowing that they hadn’t caught anything the night before helps us see how Peter humbled himself and did as the Lord asked even though it didn’t make sense to him. He trusted Jesus that much. Not only did he trust, but he respected Him and chose to honor Him by his obedience.

How often do we do what Jesus says even when it doesn’t make sense? How well do we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? How about forgiving 7 x 70 times? Even in the promptings we get from the Holy Spirit, how quickly do we obey? Or do we try to figure everything out so that it makes sense before we act?

One small example comes to mind. I was preparing for a retreat and the Holy Spirit suggested I ask the ladies next door if I could practice my talks on them. I was intimidated by the older woman next door, as she was old and seemed to be rather cranky. I didn’t know if she believed in God, and I couldn’t imagine speaking about the Lord in front of her. I never would have considered asking them, so this confirmed to me that it must be the Lord’s idea! I called and the caregiver said they would love to have me come over.

They both listened intently and gave me some good feedback. Later, the caregiver shared that she had drifted away from God, and my talks invited her to come back. I also pray that the talks planted some seeds in the older woman’s heart as well.  I think it’s good for us to be ready to follow the Lord without always understanding his plan ahead of time. Because, if we need everything to make sense before we obey, we may miss some really “big catches.”

 

Janice Carleton and her husband Jim live in Portland, OR and partner with Passionist Fr. Cedric Pisegna in Fr. Cedric Ministries. She is the mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 6. Janice also leads women’s retreats and recently published her second book: God IS with Us. Visit Janice’s website at http://www.janicecarleton.com/ or email her at [email protected].

Scripture:

Colossians 1:1-8
Luke 4:38-44

Reflection:

As I was reflecting on the gospel of today’s readings, I couldn’t help but notice how much Jesus responded within ordinary and daily situations to “…proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God…” He had been preaching in the synagogue, but then leaves for the house of Simon’s mother-in-law. His presence signaled her healing, so much so that “She got up immediately….” At sunset, people were brought to him (they were brought to him, which suggests a dependency on some form of “care giver”), probably still around the house of Simon’s mother-in-law. The sick were healed of their illnesses, and those under the spell of evil, were freed from their demons. The next morning, Jesus seeks solitude, but the crowds, responding to his concern for them, come looking for Jesus, and try to keep him among them.

The response of Jesus is to affirm that his coming has been purposeful, it is to “proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God” to other towns as well.

There is an attribute in the conduct of Jesus which clearly marks his ministry, it is a ministry of proclamation, and it is a ministry which responds to the suffering of ordinary people, the kind of people who might never have come to know of Jesus were it not for those who bring them to Jesus.

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, reminded us of this missionary outreach in #15 of his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium: the Latin American bishops stated that we “cannot passively and calmly wait in our church buildings”; we need to move “from a pastoral ministry of mere conservation to a decidedly missionary pastoral ministry”.

Jesus took the comings and goings of the people who lived in those villages around Galilee, and made them into opportunities to proclaim the Good News of Salvation and of the Kingdom of God. He especially made this proclamation to those who were suffering from the weariness of soul and body which we share in daily as we move about our city or town.

Let us try today to remember Jesus as the one who continually reminds us of the “Joy of the Gospel” (Evangelii Gaudium), and the place we are invited to take at the Table of the Lord.

 

Father Arthur Carrillo, C.P., is the director of the Missions for Holy Cross Province.  He lives in Chicago, Illinois.